Smile for AI

An interesting AI development relates to the Dunning-Kruger effect. The Dunning–Kruger effect is a hypothetical cognitive bias stating that people with low ability at a task overestimate their ability.

A deep learning AI system has uncovered a relationship between the human face and Dunning-Kruger. Of particular interest was that by far the most significant correlation was one where people are smiling. The correlation turned out to be particularly strong when the research was restricted to a limited number of familiar public figures who often smile in public situations.

This new research indicates that for some people in some situations, a smile does indeed suggest that the person behind the smile grossly overestimates their own ability. I’m not sure how reliable it is, but the findings are certainly interesting.